Is food expense

If you eat at neighborhood like deli buffet style eating establishments you will get the best value. Just point to the item(s) and they serve it to you on a plate. Add up the items and you pat the cashier. Semi-Self serve I call it. Beverages can be pricey in general. Also Bus and Train staions have quick grab and go food that are under $5 equiv.
Most restaurants that you are served at have menu at front door, if not do not go in it will be pricey in general.

I don't find food in Italy more expensive than the US. Actually American restaurants will always cost you more if you order wine, because restaurants in America charge ridiculous prices for wine. Last year as a test I did a survey of common use items which I normally buy. I got the prices at a supermarket in my old neighborhood in Florence then compared it with the prices of the same items at the local Safeway here in California when I came back. Safeway was more expensive for every food item I checked except for bananas, soda and peanut butter. Everything else was significantly cheaper in Florence, from tomatoes, to pasta, to bread, to prosciutto, to cheese, to tuna, to wine, to mineral water, you name it.

I think 100 euro/day/2 people is comfortable. Does your hotel include a breakfast buffet? Milan can be a pricey town, especially for formal sit down type dining. So I'd forgo that until your last night, when you can reward yourself for being so thrifty. One a tip a tour guide gave us last year, (we were only there for 2 nights, so we did not do) go to the Navigli neighborhood which is a mile or so south of the Duomo. It has lots of bars which have happy hours during the weekdays which have big spreads of appetizers and you can help yourself for the cost of a generous glass of wine (5 euro). "Just stick your head in and see what's on the table. Don't be shy. If you don't like what you see, head to the next place. That's how the Milanese do it." (He was French). The other tip was "Do not, under any circumstances eat in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Its a rip off." Its the beautiful enclosed mall on the north side of the Piazza Duomo. Just go to people watch and take a turn on the Bull's crotch.
Go to a supermarket and get supplies for a few in-room picnic's. Italian produce, breads, cheeses, meats, and wines are very good and a fraction of the cost in a restaurant. Your last night, if you've been good, go to the Antica Osteria Cavallini. Via Mauro Macchi and Via Alfredo Cappallini.

One important thing that, after 6 trips to Italy, still takes adjusting to for me: When you see a price on a US menu, you basically have to add 25% to account for tax and tip. But the price on an Italian menu is the final price; the tax and tip are included (and yes, as Roberto, a native Italian, will confirm, Italians don't tip in restaurants). So, while a $20 dish in Philadelphia is really $25, a €20 dish in Milan is really €20. As always, if you want to save money, you can: 1. Get beverages standing up instead of sitting down. Many cafes have two prices; since the "seated price" allows sitting for as long as you like with one drink, it's higher than the price for standing at the bar. 2. Patronize markets (from small mom-and-pops to large central market halls to supermarkets) instead of restaurants. 3. Go to restaurants that are not right on main streets or squares. 4. Go to Brek: http://www.brek.com/en_EN/ristoranti/lombardia/milano/restaurant-milano-san-babila-7.html (also listed in Rick's book). Since it doesn't have waiter service, it's cheaper than some other restaurants, and the food is good. It's a sort-of "cafeteria," but the food is made in small batches throughout the meal service, not all at once the night before.
5. Look at student-oriented guides like Let's Go or Lonely Planet for inexpensive restaurants. On my first trip in 1989, I used Let's Go and ended up in a place filled with construction workers (we sat at long communal tables and I was the only non-Milanese there). As you might expect at a place patronized by construction workers, it was cheap, but the food was good.

Harold that was 1989. I also used to ask construction workers for restaurant advice in those years. No longer. If today you found yourself in a restaurant in Milan surrounded by construction workers, you would be the only non Romanian there.

I've found cafeteria-style places in several Italian cities. Rome and. Venice train stations have them; I think they were ala carte. I had a main dish and salad for about 10 euro.

All good advice so far. Many markets will make you a sandwich to order, some also sell drinks and fresh fruit. At restaurants, you can get a half-order of pasta for a little more than half the price of a full order.

Roberto, I have been told just last week that you should tip in Italy now! A 1EU coin in a small bistro, and 5EU in a sit down restaurant. Round up the fee in the taxi to the nearest Euro, and 5EU to a taxi driver for a long trip. This advice comes from a native Sicilian living in Sicily currently.

Nelly, I'm assuming you mean is food expensive in Italy? That's a difficult question to answer, as it depends to a large extent on "how" you'll be dining there. Generally speaking, I find the prices quite reasonable. Most hotels provide breakfast with the cost of the room, so that won't be a concern. Lunch can be as simple as a Panini and a coffee, or you can have a more expensive "sit down" lunch. Supper will probably be the largest expense, and again the cost for that will vary according to your preferences. Italian meals are typically structured in "waves", ranging from Antipasti to Primi to Secondi to Contorni to Dolci (and that doesn't include the drinks). If you order the "full meal deal", it can get expensive in a big hurry! Of course, you don't have to order every course. I often just order Insalata and Primi (typically Pasta), along with drinks. There will most likely also be a Coperta (cover charge) and there's no way to avoid that. If you order water, it's unlikely you'll get tap water so you'll be paying for either plain or carbonated bottled water. One other point to mention regarding restaurants is that if you sit outside on the Piazza, the cost will be higher than if you sit inside the building. The same applies to ordering coffee. If you sit down at a table the cost will be higher than if you stand at the Bar. The answer to your question is that the cost will depend on what type of dining you choose for lunch and supper, and whether you'll be having wine or desserts with every meal. For one person, I'd suggest budgeting at least €50 per day. You may find it helpful to have a look at this website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meal_structure_in_Italy On that note, I'm off to the Italian Deli for lunch. Buon Appetito!

Donna that native Sicilian must be a waiter during the day and a taxi driver at night.
I'm sure most Italians round up to the closest euro when they pay a taxi cash, I do. But many Italians don't even wait for the waiter to bring the bill. They just walk to the register and pay. When we went out with my friends we always did so this summer. I often pay with my credit card. The slip doesn't even have the gratuity line. I think that the only people who live a tip are American tourists.

No, he rents apartments for a living! He said Italians tip!! Thanks for your advice, though. I didn't tip this last trip, and I was embarrassed.

Nelly, remember the conversion rate. Plan 65 Euros a day per person. thats 130E a day total. I might guessing a little high but if you find yourself with extra its a good thing. Remember, you will want Gelato and other snacks too. I've been there twice and when you spend all day walking around and smelling food you will work up an apetite.

Roberto, can you recommend any really good Romanian dishes in some of those restaurants filled with construction workers? I've often heard and passed along the tip that to find a good meal, look for where all the trucks are parked. I'm right now in Venice, so that doesn't work too well,but I did have lunch the other day with three gondoliers sitting nearby, so I figured I was in a good spot,and a fine meal it was.

Very helpful info.. just like the original Post any advice for the city of Rome,ill be there at the end if the month for a week...

We had lunch in Milan with 3 people. We had 3 pizza's, and 2 carafe of house wine for 25 euro. My lunches during our trip where around 5-12 euro depending if we had a panini or pizza, or a cheese and meat tray. house wine is cheap over there.